The Scot had a chance to force a play-off on the last but left his birdie putt short from 15 feet, while playing partner Soren Hansen birdied the hole to claim a share of third with Montgomerie’s compatriot Stephen Gallacher and France’s Gregory Havret.

Poulter collected the first prize of £187,000 for his fifth tour title, and with it a timely confidence boost for the USPGA Championship at Oak Hill – the final major of the year which begins on Thursday.

The 27-year-old from Hertfordshire began the day one shot off the pace, but birdies at the second and eighth got him into a tie for the lead alongside Brian Davis and Montgomerie.

That duo both then bogeyed the ninth, and Poulter’s birdie from four feet on the 11th briefly took him two ahead of the field.

The gap was quickly closed to a single shot. But Poulter doubled it again with two putts for birdie on the par-five 12th, and when Montgomerie again got within a shot his sixth birdie of the day on the 15th took Poulter two ahead again.

Montgomerie closed the gap to one shot once more with a birdie on the 17th - and with Poulter failing to birdie either of the closing par-fives for the third day out of four, the 40-year-old Scot had a chance to force extra holes.

His drive almost found a fairway bunker, however, and he was unable to reach the green in two – his pitch coming up 15 feet short and the putt never threatening the hole.